January 20, 2015

First off, transfers have come and gone and I'M STAYING IN ENUMCLAW WITH SISTER COLLINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so excited and pumped for the next 6 weeks! We have a couple baptisms planned and are excited to see some of the people we love enter the waters of baptism! Dejia is getting baptised this weekend and she is really excited! She is so mature for 10 and has a wonderful understanding of the gospel! She will be baptised by her father, who was recently re-activated. It is going to be such a wonderful, spiritual day! 

Secondly, they say, "You are what you eat." In that case, I think I'm turning into pizza. No one knows what to feed Sister Collins since she is allergic to meat. So she gets fed her favorite food all the time. Her favorite food happens to be pizza. That's great. But when you are fed pizza 3 nights a week, it gets old. Real fast. LOL. I am learning to LOVE the members that understand that pizza is not the only option for a vegetarian! :) 

This week I have learned a lot about doing all that you can. I have been thinking a lot lately about the efforts that I am putting forth as a missionary. I have wondered if there is more I should or could be doing. President Eaton shared a scripture with me that helped me a lot. It is Doctrine and Covenants 123:16-17 "You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

It is our job to do all that we can. There are some things that are simply out of our control. Like other people's agency. :) So, we do all that we can, and then stand still and watch the salvation of God at work! It is truly amazing when we do that! 

I love my Savior and my Heavenly Father! I am so grateful for all that they do for me! I am eternally indebted to them! I love this work that I am a part of and I love seeing people come unto Christ! It is amazing! There are not words to describe it sufficiently! 

Have a great week and remember the Lord in your lives each day! 

Love, 

Sister Keele

Hello! I hope all is well at home! Things here in Enumclaw are going well. We have 2 baptisms coming up and I am SO EXCITED for them! This week, Sister Collins and I sang in 3rd ward and spoke in 2nd ward. Next week, we will be singing in 2nd ward and I will be teaching relief society in 2nd ward. It will be great! 

The topic that we were given was "Jesus Christ". When we were given the topic, I thought, "Oh man! How am I supposed to cover that in 7-10 minutes!?" There is so much to say about my Savior, I wasn't sure what to say. Eventually, I decided to talk about keeping our eyes focused on the Savior. In Matthew 14 we learn the story of Peter asking Christ if He would allow him to walk on water. Christ beckons Peter to come onto the water and Peter does. He walks on water until he realizes the whirlwinds around him. He walked on the water "until he remembered he didn't know how." (Madeleine L’Engle) When we keep our eye on the Savior, we know we can walk on water. When we take our eyes off of Him, we remember we can't. So, my invitation to you each this week, is to keep your eyes on the Savior! Find something in your life that is distracting you from dedicating yourself, wholly, unto God. And then change it! I love you all and I am so grateful to be a member of this church and to be serving my Heavenly Father! 

Love, 

Sister Keele 

January 5, 2015

These are 12 things I learned this week. They are in no particular order! Enjoy! 

1. Fasting is pretty awesome! 

     When you do it with a purpose, it brings great blessings! One of the members shared a story about his 10 year old nephew. He said that it was 12:01 and they had stayed up late so they could sing happy birthday to someone. There were snacks everywhere and the boy said, "Wait! Put all the food away! It's fast Sunday and I need to pray!" When they asked him what he was fasting for, he said, "That my family will be together forever!" There is a reason the scriptures tell us to become as a child!

2. Harmonizing is hard. 

     enough said. 

3. Setting goals is actually fun!

     When you do it right, it's actually fun! 

4. We can learn from Lot's wife! 

     Don't look longingly towards the past! Know and have faith that Heavenly Father has great things prepared for you in the future!

5. You never know who you are inspiring!

     On Sunday, a guy showed up to church because he had been wanting to check out a church. He was at his friend's house when two missionaries stopped by. He decided to go to their church! Now he is investigating the church! 

6. Testimony is powerful!

     So share it! Again, you never know who you are inspiring!

7. Dictionaries are awesome! 

     And Elder Holland gets way funnier when you actually understand the big words he uses!

8. Goats are rude. 

     Yes. Goats are rude. Also, did you know that they spit!? Well, it wasn't hard to figure out once one was spitting on me, again. And trying to kill me. That's the last time I feed a goat pizza. 

9. Marriage is hard. 

     If there is one thing I've learned on my mission, it is that all relationships take work. Love won't solve all of your problems. But Heavenly Father will help you along the way. So, don't give up! Seek your Heavenly Father's guidance! 

10. Sharing the gospel is easier as a family!

     When you share the gospel as a family, you have a built-in support system. It becomes easier when your best friends are rooting you on. 

11. "Who wants to be a Book of Mormon Genius" is actually fun. 

     We played it at dinner with a family in our ward. It's actually fun and something I might try in my own future family!

12. People actually have 12 pound babies!

     Yes, this is a real thing. One of the sisters in our ward delivers babies and on Sunday morning she delivered a 12 pound baby. That's it. I'm never having children! :) 

Well, I love you all and I hope you have a great week!

Love, 

Sister Keele

December 29, 2014

Hello! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas celebrating the birth of our Savior! Christmas here in Enumclaw was great! We spent it with a really sweet family that we love! I loved the gifts from you guys! I definitely felt your love! :) 

This week I am incredibly grateful for my Savior. I know that He lives and that He loves me. I know that He loves each of us and is there whenever we need Him. I know this because the Spirit has spoken to my heart and testified to me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Sister Keele

December 22, 2014

Hello all! I can't believe that this week is already Christmas!!! It's weird to think that it's already been a year since I became a full-time missionary! I have loved this past year so much and I am so grateful for the birth of our Savior and for all that He has done for me. I am so grateful that I can share this wonderful message with so many people! I am truly blessed! 

This week we were able to go on our first exchange of the transfer. I went to Lake Sawyer/Crestwood in Kent (woohoo!) with Sister Frishknecht! This is her 2nd transfer in the mission and so I got to do her training...It was super fun! She is an awesome missionary and just loves the gospel! I learned so much from her! 

We had our Christmas party this week for the mission. President Eaton spoke to us and talked about how in sports, you dedicate a game to someone. He said that when you dedicate a game to someone, you play harder and with all that you have. He then challenged us to "Dedicate our lives to the Savior." When we dedicate our lives to the Savior, we try harder and with all that we have. So that is my invitation to you all this week- dedicate your lives to the Savior. I know that as you do so, you will come to know Him in a way that you never before have. You will find a greater love for Him that you ever have. I know this is true. I know that Jesus Christ is the true gift of Christmas. I love Him and I love my Heavenly Father! In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Love, 

Sister Keele

christmas.mormon.org

December 15, 2014

Hey everyone!! How's it going?? Things here in Enumclaw are great! We had both of our ward Christmas parties and they were so much fun! In 3rd ward we did a morning activity where we wrote letters to missionaries and wounded soldiers and did a food drive and blanket drive for the food banks and shelters in the area. One of the families in that ward goes every year to Seattle to the areas where there are a lot of homeless people and they give them blankets and a lunch. This year they collected things for 75 bags. They had a great time and their testimonies were strengthened! In 2nd ward we had dinner and a show! The youth put on a play about the true meaning of Christmas. It was actually a re-enactment of a Mormon Message that I will attach to this email! It was a great evening to get to know people and re-learn the true meaning of Christmas! 

We got a referral this week from someone in the jail here in Enumclaw. We had no idea who we were going to see, we just got a request for a Book of Mormon. We went to the jail, asked for the officer that contacted us and learned that the Book of Mormon was for an inmate. We asked if he wanted to talk with us and he said yes. We were able to meet with this man who has been a member for about a year and a half. It was just one of those times when you knew that his past life had just found him again. I could just tell that he so badly wanted to go back to church and get out of that place. It was a weird, but good experience. 

On a funny note, a goat spit at me this week. I didn't even know goats spit. I knew llamas did, but goats? We were feeding for a member this week while she was out of town and I always love playing with the goat. It's the friendliest goat. Until this week. I walked into the goats area with her hay and the goat just kept head-butting me. I pushed her away and she ran in-between my legs and jumped up. I thought I was going to fall over but luckily caught myself. Then Rennie (the goat) starting hitting her head on the gate like she normally does when she wants to be pet. So I started scratching her head and she spit at me!!! I think she has lost her mind. The whole time this is happening, Sister Collins is just standing there laughing at me! It was the weirdest thing of my life. I got abused by a goat. 

Anyway, this week I just want you all to know how much I love this gospel. I know that it is the only way back to our Heavenly Father! There is an urgency in this! We cannot procrastinate the day of our repentance! We do not know when Christ will come again. But we can be prepared now! We do not want to be like the virgins whose lamps were empty. We want to be the ones that filled their lamps each and every day by praying, reading their scriptures, and serving God. I invite you all this week to do something each day to fill your lamps! If you do so, you will be prepared! I love you all and pray for you each day!!!

Love, 

Sister Keele

http://www.mormonchannel.org/christmas-videos?v=2874125972001